3 iPad Apps for Grandparents

Bilal AhmadDecember 1, 2011

The iPad is catching on among the senior citizen community, a demographic that doesn’t usually demonstrate that much interest in the latest technology. For this community, the iPad has seemed to strike a nerve that most other modern gadgets before it have failed to reach.

Perhaps the grandparents are finally catching on to all the amazing applications of mobile technology, and the iPad just happened to be in the right place at the right time. More likely, however, it has something to do with the distinct features of the iPad that may simply be catering more to the elderly community. The size of the screen is just one example. Where most smartphones feature a tiny display with text, icons, and content that must be quite difficult for the grandparents to decipher, the iPad serves up a generous helping of screen, which allows for larger text sizes and plenty of typing space for fingers.

Another reason this new gadget is catching on among the elderly could be the ease with which the software can be learned and used. Apple has a history of making their gadgets intuitive and user friendly, and the iPad breaks records in this arena. With these and other grandparent-friendly features, chances are that, if one hasn’t already, sooner or later an iPad will end up in your grandparents’ hands. Maybe you’ll want to give them one yourself for the next special occasion on the calendar.

Here are three great iPad apps for grandparents that you can either bundle into the gift package with their first iPad or even help them install on the iPad they already have. These apps have been chosen because of the interest they hold for the senior citizen community, their user-friendliness, and their security, which is an important factor to be concerned about.

Silver Surf

One of the best parts about having the iPad is being able to surf the Internet from wherever you happen to be. Unfortunately, Mobile Safari, the browser that comes with the iPad, features too many tiny buttons and miniscule menus. Silver Surf is a web browser designed for the elderly, and it comes with a grandparent-friendly design and a plethora of accessibility features that will make your beloved seniors light up with joy. Any text can be easily enlarged, and there is a high contrast viewing option as well as a great zoom feature, a VoiceOver feature that will read any text out loud, and plenty of large browsing buttons.

WebMD

Unfortunately, health is an important concern to most elderly people. Fortunately, though, with WebMD, there is something you can do about it. WebMD offers heaps of health-centric information for anyone who is concerned about health and well-being. It features a huge directory of common medical conditions as well as a symptom checker that you can use to help diagnose yourself. Its comprehensive database of treatments and drugs will allow you to cross check your own treatment course for possible side effects and important precautions. WebMD also comes with valuable First Aid information and a large directory of nearby pharmacies, hospitals, and health professionals.

Skype

The iPad can allow your grandparents to stay in close touch with you, and there is no better way to do that than with Skype. A free Internet calling service, Skype will allow you to connect with your grandparents from anywhere in the world at any hour of the day or night using their shiny new tablet contraption.

I hadn’t even considered an IPad for my grandma, let alone apps that might really help us keep in touch in better ways than the ones we have. I live 3 states away so I figured that one of these “senior” specific cell phones they advertise all the time, I got her one from SVC prepaid, and now I wish I had waited and saved up. Sure the SVC phone was much cheaper, but the benefits of an IPad right now seem greater.

I run a little tech startup called Postcards, which is an iPad app aimed specifically at grandparents and people with no computer experience. Perhaps it would be a good addition to this list! It lets the family send them YouTube videos, photos from Facebook, or photos and videos from their phone, and everything is extremely easy to use. The website is http://www.postcardsapp.com if you’re interested!